Potato hack / Potato diet thread

[Roytaylorjasonfunglover]

I have searched around the forum but did not find any threads pertaining the potato diet, so I decided to make one, where we can discuss all things related to the potato diet.

My first encounter with this diet, was when I read about on Dr Stephan Guyenets blog. He has an undergraduate degree in biochemistry,a phd in neurobiology, and he has specialized in studying how bodyweight is regulated by the brain.

He interviewed Chris Voigt, executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission. On 1 October 2010, he began on two month potato-only diet, in order to show how powerful the potato can be in a nutritional sense. The diet consisted of nothing but potato and small amounts of cooking oil, canola and oliveoil, and he ate them in all kinds of ways, boiled, mashed, roasted and so on, the only common denominator was that he ate them relatively unprocessed, and nothing else added, like salsasauce or salt.

Here is an interview of him about the experiment :

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.no/2010/12/interview-with-chris-voigt-of-20.html

If you do not care to read everything, his health inmproved massively, weight went down 21 pounds, without delibaretly restricting calories, and fasting glucose went down. 104 to 94 mg/dL,triglycerides went down 50% percent, HDL went up slighty, and LDL went down 41%. And all of this happened on a nearly hundred percent carb diet, and the potato as well, one of the most insulin spiking foods known to man.

dr Stephan Guyenet aslo has a blogpost where he explains why Chris Voight managed to lose weightout withouth restricting calories, and feeling no hunger.

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.no/2010/12/potato-diet-interpretation.html

However this experiment, is not unique, inspired by this, thousands of people all around the internet have tried the same recipee, eating nothing but potatos until satiated for several days in a row, and experiencing massive weightless, without being hungry during the process, as a result.

I have myself experienced this several times, and I am going to link to a forum thread discussing their experience with the potato diet, and some youtube videos about people doing the experiment. Their experiencies are remarkably similar. Everyone is fully satiated on a only potato diet, and they experiences a substantial weightloss without going hungry.

Lowcarb forum thread about the potato diet

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=454745

Another lowcarb forum:

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=795796

Nutrition student who went on a only potatoe diet for several weeks. Interestingly he calculated his daily energy expenditure, and then eat enough potatoes to match that. He still lost weight. Intro video to the experiment

And here is his update, he lost 5 kgs, without hunger, and he ate more than he needed to

Check out his whole youtube channel, and he will explain why he lost weight, even though he tried to match his potato intake with daily energy expenditure.

If you want more examples of the sucess of the potatoe diet, just google potato diet, and potato hack, and you will find countless more examples of excactly what I have described to you. I will post examples in the tread if people demand more proof.

Not enough of theory, in this thread I am also going to chronicle my latest attempt at the potato diet. I started it on december 1. 2015, and I am going to continue it, until I reach my bodyfat setpoint. I am mostly going to eat plain boiled potatoes, but somedays I may roast some of the older leftover ones in some butter in the pan. I do not add anything extra to the potatoes. I drink only water, and some dietsoda, pepsimax on days when I feel tired.

I aslo do some exercise, HIIT style as shown my Michael Mosley in his excellent documentary the truth about exercise. I go on my local football pitch, and 4 four max all out sprints, of about 20 seconds, with 1 minute of rest, between each sprint. I do the training in the fasted state.

I will weight myself each morning at the same time and post it here. The potato diet kills my hunger so much that I often need not eat until the evening, so I basically fast all day, 24 hours most days. If I get really hungry before the evening, I just my potatoes, and then fast until the next day, so for the most part, I eat one bigass poato meal each day. If I get hungry after this meal, I just make some extra poatoes, but this rarely happens.

I will use this weight journey as an example that you can lose weight fast and easily without feeling hunger. It will also show that it is calories that matter and that bodyweight is regulated by the brain, not if your food is insulin spiking. I have so much respect for the lowcarb diet, I lost over 40 kgs on it combined with intermittent fasting, but it is not the only way, and reason it works, is that it makes you less hungry, more satiated on fewer calories which create a deficit that make you lose fat, it is not because it is low in carbohydrates per say.. It also regulates your bodyfat setpoint downwards. So I will show that you can lose weight on a nearly 100% carb diet.

I will also post yestersdays caloriintake if I have managed to calcuate it correctly, together with my daily energy expenditure, both from acitvity and resting combined. I will also try to describe my mood and feeling of satiation. If people want proof, I can post pictures after some while

So here is the data from the experiment so far:

My height is 188cm , sex is male, and I am in my early twenties.

1. December. 77.7 kg starting bmi of 22.07
2. December. 77.5 kg
3. December. 76.7 kg 500 grams of potatoes
.4 December. 75.7 kg (not eaten yet at time of posting)

So I hope you wish me good luck, and lets start discussing the potato diet!

 

[Pinkorchid]

On your profile you say you do not have diabetes so do you have a specific reason for putting this on a diabetes forum. Potatoes are one of the things most members here will not eat as they raise blood glucose to high

 

[Totto]

I think most of us would lose weight on a diet consisting of boiled potatoes. I would probably lay myself down and die of pure boredom before the experiment was through though, if not from high BG.

The Irish were famous for their potato consumption before the Great Famine but I seem to remember they liked some butter to go with their spuds.

 

[Roytaylorjasonfunglover]

On your profile you say you do not have diabetes so do you have a specific reason for putting this on a diabetes forum. Potatoes are one of the things most members here will not eat as they raise blood glucose to high

That is true, but my Aunt was diagnosed with it, and my fathers new wife has it( both type 2), and I love them very much and I am also very worried for them. I therefore belive I have the right to go on a diabetes forum and post about this things.As a result of somebody dear to me getting this diagnosis, I have read up on the scientific literature pertaining diabetes, and for me it seems that genes and excess bodyfat of the "wrong" kind is the cause of diabetes type 2. Anything that can help with weightloss is therefore interesting to me,and should be interesting to diabetics.

You mention that potatoes makes peoples bloodsugar go up and that is true, if you have type 2 diabetes, and have not eaten carbs for a longtime. If one goes on a lowcarb diet, your enzymes regulating carbs will be downregulated, so if you have eaten lowcarb for a period of lets say two months, a sudden rush of carbs in the form of 200 grams of potatoes, are going to make your bloodsugar go high, but you eat carbs for 3 days in a row, your glucose levels will go down, as your body gets used to carbs again. It is a known fact that eating a lowcarb diet causes insulinrestiance also in nondiabetics.

And with respect to glucose, the man who went on a 60 day potato diet only, saw his fasting bloodglucose levels go from 104 to 94, and that is quite impressive taking in the fact that he ate a nearly 100 percent carb diet.

 

[Roytaylorjasonfunglover]

I think most of us would lose weight on a diet consisting of boiled potatoes. I would probably lay myself down and die of pure boredom before the experiment was through though, if not from high BG.

The Irish were famous for their potato consumption before the Great Famine but I seem to remember they liked some butter to go with their spuds.

Yeah I agree with you, most people would find it pretty boring, I could not do the same with rice or sweet potatoes I am afraid. But I happen to come from a culture where potato is an essential part of a miseraable food culture, and is considered staple, and I have enjoyed them all my life, so for me it is no problem. The interesting thing i why I have lost so much weight though, in only 4 days! I do not think my weightloss would have been so rapid had I only eaten lamb or porkchops, or my favourite chocolate exscluvesly.

 

[Brunneria]

Nice one.

But you should have posted it on the Jokes and Humour board, not here.

 

[TorqPenderloin]

The interesting thing i why I have lost so much weight though, in only 4 days! I do not think my weightloss would have been so rapid had I only eaten lamb or porkchops, or my favourite chocolate exscluvesly.

Well, for starters, 25% of your results (500g) were due to you not eating yet on day 4. That leaves you with a net weight loss of 1.5kg (roughly 3.3 lbs) in four days.

To compare, when I used to compete in powerlifting competitions, I would cut 10 lbs (almost 5kg) of weight in less than 24 hrs. In the summer, I can easily lose 5lbs during a 1hr run.

Using the same logic, my "1-hr run" diet is 50% more effective than the potato diet, and my "24-hr power" diet is 200% more effective than the potato diet. Of course, that's obviously not true.

Rarely do I use these words, but this "diet" is downright DUMB. It's intentional self-harm. Whether you realize it or not, all you're doing is starving yourself. It may not be from the standpoint of a caloric deficiency, but it's still starvation.

You're intentionally causing a severe protein deficiency in your body which means your muscle will start to break down....that's probably going to cause some weight loss.

You're eating very little sodium which is certainly a good thing, but it will also attribute to your weight loss as your body retains less water.

The net result is that you may lose some fat, but you're also going to lose a significant amount of muscle too. You decide if that's healthy or not (I personally think the answer is obvious, but apparently it's not).

 

[Lamont D]

As a non diabetic with no blood glucose issues, then a potato diet would probably work especially if your blood chemistry and digestion can cope with it. And if you use more calories than you eat, of course you will lose weight! Because you are normal!

However as a non diabetic with a blood glucose disorder, a potato diet regardless of how much I ate, I would put weight on because of the excess insulin I produce when eating carbs.
Potatoes and grains are my nemesis. I can't eat them and the diet you are suggesting would have me in hospital probably with really bad hypos!

I understand that you have close family who are diabetics and I think it would be inadvisable for them to start the diet. Just because you can, doesn't mean they can!

You have done the low carb lifestyle and successfully lost weight, if something doesn't need changing, why change it? And why push what you are doing when there is guys like me, who are never gonna eat chip butties ever again.
I personally think you are being irresponsible, to post something that us blood glucose disorders can't cope with!

Hope you are successful with your diet!
But you were already losing weight!
What, really are you trying to accomplish?

 

[Annieok]

Isn't that the plot of The Martian, where Matt Damon has to survive on potatoes for 4 years?

 

[mrspuddleduck]

That is true, but my Aunt was diagnosed with it, and my fathers new wife has it( both type 2), and I love them very much and I am also very worried for them. I therefore belive I have the right to go on a diabetes forum and post about this things.As a result of somebody dear to me getting this diagnosis, I have read up on the scientific literature pertaining diabetes, and for me it seems that genes and excess bodyfat of the "wrong" kind is the cause of diabetes type 2. Anything that can help with weightloss is therefore interesting to me,and should be interesting to diabetics.

Whilst I appreciate that you appear to be aiming this at type 2 diabetics, as a type 3C whose diabetic condition and its related type complications cause me to be grossly underweight, and demands a pedantic attention to the nutritional state of my body (because it cant do it automatically) I can assure you that if I tried this diet I WOULD DIE. As someone who has experienced malnutrition, gross vitamin deficiency, hospitalisation resulting in TPN ( tube feeding) as a complication of my health condition, I am horrified that anyone is advocating a nutritionally unsound and inbalanced diet to a group of people who have a medically diagnosed condition that itself can cause additional nutritional problems. Oh and by the way type 2 diabetes is NOT just about "excess body fat"!!!!

 

[seadragon]

Who would want to eat just potatoes anyway - ridiculous and dangerous and totally unsuitable for anyone with a carb intolerance. Type 2 is not just about weight and even if it was then a sensible and sustainable way of eating is much more suitable than a stupid one ingredient diet. Enjoy your boring, unsociable and plain crazy diet but please do it elsewhere. Ta!

 

[Totto]

That is true, but my Aunt was diagnosed with it, and my fathers new wife has it( both type 2), and I love them very much and I am also very worried for them. I therefore belive I have the right to go on a diabetes forum and post about this things.As a result of somebody dear to me getting this diagnosis, I have read up on the scientific literature pertaining diabetes, and for me it seems that genes and excess bodyfat of the "wrong" kind is the cause of diabetes type 2. Anything that can help with weightloss is therefore interesting to me,and should be interesting to diabetics.

You mention that potatoes makes peoples bloodsugar go up and that is true, if you have type 2 diabetes, and have not eaten carbs for a longtime. If one goes on a lowcarb diet, your enzymes regulating carbs will be downregulated, so if you have eaten lowcarb for a period of lets say two months, a sudden rush of carbs in the form of 200 grams of potatoes, are going to make your bloodsugar go high, but you eat carbs for 3 days in a row, your glucose levels will go down, as your body gets used to carbs again. It is a known fact that eating a lowcarb diet causes insulinrestiance also in nondiabetics.

And with respect to glucose, the man who went on a 60 day potato diet only, saw his fasting bloodglucose levels go from 104 to 94, and that is quite impressive taking in the fact that he ate a nearly 100 percent carb diet.

I'm sorry but you have got all wrong. Being a T2 myself and third generation(that I know of) to boot I know a bit about BG reactions to potatoes and it's certainly not about enzymes. It's about insulin, first insulin response, second insulin response and in many cases also insulin resistance.

The thing with being diabetic is that your body can't handle glucose very well. Period. You can't make it get used to a high carb diet. Period. Had it been possible to get normal BG level by eating potatoes we wouldn't be diabetic.

As for the fact that it takes three days for the body to build up on insulin response when you move from low carb to normal carb, that is three days. High carb intake doesn't improve either weight or BG long term for diabetics, it will only raise BG and put your organs at risk.

Do a bit of proper reading up. Or you'll lure vulnerable and ill people who come to this site looking for help into deeper s**t than they already are in.

 

[catherinecherub]

This thread is being locked. The diet is totally unsuitable for anyone with diabetes, regardless of which type they have.